Traction apparatus.



TRACTION APPARATUS. APPLlcATsoN FILED APR.29,1913.

WITNESSESQ ATTORNEY lzltentedept. 1-1'-, 1915.

' Mense, a citizen of the. United States,

GMENCE A. HENNEUSE, QF SANUOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSGNOR, BY MESNE ASSGN- MENTS, l ONE-'EI'HRD TG S. FRAME, OF BENICA, CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-TRIER?) TO VJ. J. BENSON, F SAN JOSE, CALIFORNA.

nef-lemon APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ral-enten sept.. ie, reis.

application filed April 29, 1913. Serial No. 764,341.

" all when! it may (Loafer/.1 i

Be known that it, lnfinnxoi; A. HEN- resid- .ing at San Jose, in the county ot' Santa Clara and State ofalifornia, have invented new and useful linproveinents in rlrae- 'tion Apparatugof which the following is a specification.

il/l'y invention relates to traction apparatus, and that class which is especially eniployed upon traction engines and the like, and the present invention is particularly designed as an'iinproveinent :tor the endless chains of shoes which forni extended bearing surfaces tor the vehicle.

The invention consists particularly in the Construction o' a iiexible chain and the inanner of uniting the links with each other and 1with the shoes which forni the hearingr surand the peculiar construction o't" said shoes.

rt also consists in the formation of races upon which the chain and shoes are Carried and by which the lriction ot travel is reduced..

rlhe invention consists of the parts and the construction 'and combination oit' parts as hereinafter more Jfully described and eiain'ied, having' reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l a side elevation illustrating my invention. Fig.l 'z2 a plan view ol' a portion ot' the chain and connections. Figi. 3 is a section taken through .1,-./f oi Fie'. 2. lfig.l l is a section taken through 'l/-f/ ot Fig. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through of Fig. y

A. represents an internal gear having external teeth or sproekets L).

3 is a pinion inounted upon a shalt as at Il, which pinion is adapted to engage the internal teeth ot the gear wheel and thus drive it.

y'lhe chain ils :torined of links 5 and is of such a length that it )asses around the wheel il. and engages the sprocket teeth 2. which thus act to drive the chain. The lengthv ol the chain is .such that when in position it forms a parallelograin with rounded ends one oit' which is that portion Dessine" around the sprocket, and the oppoball .site end passes around a similar semi-eireular guide, as plainly shown in Fig. l. Plhe links ol the chain are each formed with two sides having aV sleeve G at one end and at the other ends are fornied shorter sleeves 7, which are separated snllieiently so that the sleeve 6 of each link will pass between the .sleeves Y at the opposite ends ol' the suceeeding link. These are connected together hy bolts 8 which are simply passed through he over-lapping ends (3-7.

9 are the shoes ortreads whieh are bolted to the chain links as sghown. These shoes are inade of considerable length transversely ot' the ehain, vso as to provide a sullieient hearing andthey overlap each other so as to torni a continuous tread. 'l`lie cdja'es ol' -the sh es at one end are curreddownward.

as shown at lt), and these downward curvatures forni praetieall)Y the grousers or hohling projections which preventlhe tread from slipping on soft or clay ground. 'lhe opposite end oll cach shoe e.\;tends into this over-lap and is turned downwardly as .shown at il, so that this shorter lmvn-turned end will slide in the curvature l() as the parts of the chain inove upon each other in passing around the wheel, or the opposite end, or by niovenientcaused b v sinuosities ol' the ground. '.lhe two overlapping ends lit as closely as possible to prevent as inueh as possible, the dirt l'rour passing into the chain and clogging the links, and the rubloing ol the two curved surfaces against cach other serves to elean outand eject any such dirt as iuay have entered. Upon cach ol the shoes is riveted angle plates lil. "'lhese plates have their 11p-turned angular portion at such a distance apart as will just admit the width oi the chain links and their connections G and 7, and the pin or artis 3 upon which they turn is :ibutted between these angular plates, so that these joints are secured without screw bolts, or other expensive eonstruction; the pins 'S being siniply out troni suitably sized round steel. The upper ends ol' this 11p-turned angular portion are curved as shown at 1:2 and these angular pieces thus torni the inner `race for the halls 13, which provide the anti-'frictional device. rllhe outer hall race ll'is curved oppositel)v to the parts 12a, and the position of the two curves is such thatthe balls are held in position and cannot escape. This part 1l is a continuous rigid structure ,extending around the outside, as plainly shown in Fig. l, and is preferably formed in two parts ll and lla. The part lele forms the semi-circular end opposite the part which passes around the wheel A. This end is pivoted to the part 1l, as shown at 15, and a rigid bar 1G extends vertically from this pivot point to the opposite end of the part 1t to which it is properly secured.

I 1n order to compensate for any change in the length of the chain by wear, or otherwise, the lower end ot' the part ll is movable to and from the lower' end ot the part ll; the movement taking place about the pivotl l5, and the parts are retained in position by means ot' a shell extension 1T which may be cast with one ot the parts lland the opposite portion heilig hollow', the other end, as at ll, will be `slidable within this shell, which thus guidps and keeps the parts together and forms with the two sections a continuous outer ball race. this construction is plainly shown in Fig. l. A rod 1S is connected at one end with the interior yot' the section it and at the other end is slidable in a guide on the transverse bar lh. -'l`he bar lo' stands diagonally as shown, and is surrounded by a spring 19 of sullici'cnt power to exercise a constant pressureto torce the parts 14: and ll apart, so as to provide the necessarj7 tension upon the chain.

A vertically disposed, guided spring 2O is here shown surrounding a slidable rod 2l having the upper end connected with the part il: and the lower end slidable in suitable guides on the main trame. rl`his allows the whole structure 'to rise and tall about the axis ot the wheel and thus yieldto irregularities in the surface ot the ground over wluch the machine is passing.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Yatent is:H j

l. In an apparatus ot the character described, an endless chain composed ot links flexiblyv coupled together, overlapping tread plates, each bolted to `a chain link, angle flanges bolted to the tread plates .extending upward outside the chain links and forming abutment stops :t'or the ends of the chain link hinge pins.

Q. 'An endless traction chain composed of links with engaging pivot end-s and connecting pins, overlapping tread plates each eentrally bolted to a link, angle plates riveted to the tread plates in pairs with one member of each extending upward to form stops for the hinge pins, and curved to orm ball race members.

3. A. traction apparatus of the character described, including an elliptical two-part trackw'ay forming a stationary ball race member', a chain composed ot links having angular plates curved to form the opposed ball race member, tread plates fixed to the chain, said plates having one end curved on a radius from the pin centers ot the chain links, and the opposite ends having an opposite curve aml extending into scraping contact with the tirst named end of the next contiguous tread plate, means to maintain the two-part trackway in alinement, and guide rods and yielding adjustinIr means.

-l. A traction apparatus ot' th character described, comprising a -trackwtr' having a semicircular end and parallel continuations, a coacting semicircular track member having its upper end pivotally connected with the first-named member, and the lower ends forming telescopic slidable guides, a transverse bar crossing the ends of the first-named member, a vertical rod slidable in guides on said bar, a compressible spring acting thereon, a diagonal bar pivoted to Ihe semicircular track member' and slid-able in guides on the transverse bar, and a yieldable spring thereon to automatically adjust the length ot' the trackway, and an endless chain adapted to travel on the trackway and having tread plates with ends curved outwardly to form overlapping joints and traction devices.

A traction device composed et hingedly connected chain links with tread plates, and angle plates bolted thereto and forming movable ball races, a sprocket driving wheel about which the chain passes, a stationary ball. race, one portion of which is concentric with the sprocket wheel and parallel extensions theret'rom, and a correspondingly curved opposite end having one end pivoted in line with one end oi' the. tirst-named meinbers. and the other in line with the other end and movable with relation thereto, said unconnected endsfbeing telescoped and slidable to maintain the continuity oi the stationary hall race.

o. An endless traction chain composed of: links and tread plates tixed to the chain links, said plates being provided with curved portions forming ball race members, each ot said tread plates having one end curved on a radius trom the pin center of the chain links and over-lapping the opposite end of the next contiguous tread plate.'`

7. An endless traction chain composed of links and a tread plate secured to each link, said tread plates being-arranged in alinement vand each having a downwardly curved end overlapping the adjacent end of the next contiguous plate and forming a. grouser or holding projection.

8. An endless tractor chain composed of connected linkin*7 a tread plate seemed to auch link, und plates Secured to the renfl plnts :and extending upward outside the chain lin u nml forlnng abutment stops for the @mls of the chain links hinge pins.

.l. An undlcss tractor Chain composed of llnks, ping pivotnlly connecting Suid links, fix-'uml pluies secured to smid links, und angle plncs mnvml lo form ball race members secured to Said trend plnteS und forming stops for the hinge pins.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand '1n the presence of two subscrlnng witnesses.

CLARENCE A. HENNE'USE. llltnesses EUGENE F. MORRIS, Gnou. MYERS. 

